Infected
by Brianna Mason
Summary: Eren wakes up alone, strapped to a bed, in a room he's never seen before. He has no idea why he's there, only that something is wrong. AU where Squad Levi are scientists fighting against the mysterious disease nicknamed T-1. Ereri/Riren, Rated M for later (Zombie AU)
1. Prologue

Eren woke up alone. The fluorescent lights blinded him at first, but his eyes soon adjusted to the brightness. His room was white and bare, the only furniture being the bed he was strapped to and a metal table. Both were bolted to the floor. An IV was attached to his hand, and he could hear the faint beeping of machines. A mirror ran the length of one of the walls; cameras hung from the ceiling in all four corners of the room. He was unable to sit up due to his restraints, so he decided to take care of those first.

After trying to loosen the straps around his wrists and ankles, Eren groaned. All he had managed to do was kick his only blanket onto the floor. His hand burned where he'd hit the IV, and he was thankful when the pain returned to a dull throb. He shivered, realizing just how cold the room was. Without the blanket, his only protection was the thin hospital gown he'd woken up in.

As tired as he was after his struggle, the thought of being watched agitated him and made it impossible for him to sleep. Unease was a knot in his stomach. He had no idea where he was or how long he'd been there. The yellow bruises around the IV suggested he'd been there at least a few days, but that was only a guess.

The last thing he remembered was becoming lost in the crowd looking for his sister and best friend. He recalled the panic; people abandoned each other in an attempt to save themselves and their families. Something had happened to the wall, something bad. It was on the edge of his mind, but he couldn't recall what exactly had happened.

Loneliness hit him suddenly and hard. _Where are Armin and Mikasa?_ He closed his eyes and let himself drift into his thoughts.

There was a loud rap on the door, and Eren jumped in surprise. He had gotten used to the noises of the room, the beeps of the machines steady with his breathing. Sighing, but somewhat excited at the change, he turned his head to watch the man walk into his room. He was short and _pretty_, but his eyes were hard, and Eren could feel the contempt rolling off of him in waves. He wore green scrubs and a white lab coat. Both articles of clothing had a crest of wings on them.

His head hit his pillow with a plop as he returned to staring at the ceiling. The symbol was familiar, but he couldn't quite grasp from where. Thinking only confused him further, so he listened to the man instead. It didn't take long for him to finish whatever he was doing. The man worked quickly, and without one look at Eren, headed back towards the door.

Eren had remained quiet until that point. It was unlikely that the people behind the cameras would respond anyway. Something about the strange man, however, gave him hope. Eren opened his mouth to speak, to ask all of the questions that had been swirling in his head, when he was abruptly cut off.

"Don't talk, brat, or I'll sew that pretty little mouth of yours shut."

The man glared at him over his shoulder before turning around to slam the door and walk away.

Levi laughed despite himself as he exited the door. The look on the brat's face had been priceless. His eyes had been wide and blinking, his lips parted slightly. Smiling to himself, he looked down at the chart in his hands.

The brat, Eren Jaeger, had arrived almost a week ago, unconscious with a fever. He'd been found in the street by someone in the Recon Corps after the breach in wall Rose. The disease had spread quickly through the citizens and those not fast or rich enough to move deeper within the walls to receive the medicine had died.

Even though his blood had tested positive, he still remained alive. Sure, he'd been unconscious for at least a week, maybe even longer, but he was_ alive_. That in itself was a miracle- one that his team would and was taking full advantage of.

The disease worked fast and spread quickly, and that, coupled with the fact that scientists had yet to determine a cause, kept the people in a panic. Medicine had been created, but it was in extremely short supply.

Levi frowned. The other patients he'd seen who had survived to stage three were different. Levi's team had found that's those infected had an enlarged amygdala-which caused cases of extreme aggression and emotional instability- and the loss of higher thinking. The brat had been calm, and from what he could see, rational.

Making his way down the hall, Levi found that his mind kept wandering back to the brat. Eren's eyes were a beautiful shade of turquoise, but they were dull and, well, _lifeless_. It annoyed Levi; he imagined them shining with emotion. Rage, lust, sorrow: anything would do.

The amount of tranquilizers pumping though his veins was no doubt at fault, and Levi was determined to have them reduced. He had a feeling the brat had a temper under normal circumstances, and though it irritated him, he longed to see that spark. He could deal with the repercussions later.

Years working in the quarantined zones under Trost had made him bored. His need for cleanliness and order had made him perfect for the job, but its monotony had not been his first choice. Erwin had all but forced him into the position.

Despite his general complaints, it was still far better than his other options. As one of the 'Wings of Freedom', he didn't need to worry about food or shelter or contracting the disease. While not easy, his life could've been a lot worse.

It had been over a week since the man had come into Eren's room. His days had blurred together. He slipped into and out of consciousness frequently. Eren didn't dream, and his time awake was riddled with hallucinations. People came and went, but much to Eren's disappointment he never saw the man's face among them. Eventually he stopped looking.

While his IV hadn't been taken out, he didn't feel as dead as when he'd first woken up. He found himself becoming riled up at the smallest details. He'd learned shortly, however, to not show it. After he'd lashed out at a nurse, he noticed a return of the numbness, and he then knew for certain he'd been given tranquillizers.

Exactly three weeks after he first woke up, the man came back.

Levi's face was blank as he stepped into the brat's room for the second time. The only sign of emotion was the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, but Eren was in no position to see it.

'That will change today', he thought smugly to himself.

It had taken three weeks, but Erwin had finally given in to Levi's request for the removal of Eren's restraints. Levi personally wanted to be there when they were removed. The brat's dose of tranquilizers had been almost halved since the time he'd woken up, and the older man couldn't wait to see the boy's face when he received the news.

Eren's eyes were closed when he strode over to his side, clipboard in hand. Levi looked down at him and in one fluid motion, swung the board. It made a loud crack when it connected with the brat's forehead; the nurse that had followed Levi inside the room visibly flinched. Eren, not expecting the pain, gasped as his eyes shot open. Much to Levi's delight, the boys growled and squirmed under his restraints, desperate to get free.

"Oi! Wakey, wakey, brat. I've got some news you might want to hear."

The boy snarled, his voice raw from disuse, "What the _fuck_! Who the hell are you?"

Laughing softly, Levi smiled sweetly and leaned over the boy to whisper into his ear.

"You can call me Corporal."

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**A/N:**

**Uh, hi there! First of all, thanks for reading. : This is my first fanfiction ever. I really hope I don't disappoint. The chapters start out a bit short (quite short, actually), but I'm hoping that they'll get longer when I wrap my head around where the plot is going. I also kinda tend to get writer's block when I go for longer chapters. OTL Anyways... You can me reach at:**

** .com (I tend to be on there more.)br / .combr / or you can just comment here :D**

**Also, you should go check out /users/foreverautumn/pseuds/foreverautumn, if you haven't already. Half Light is what finally pushed me to try writing. There are so many amazing people apart of this fandom. ^_^**


	2. Call Me Corporal

**A/N:**

**Thanks for reading! I realize that you guys might not know all of the medical terms and stuff (because I'm just learning them now myself), so I'll have explanations and things like that in the end notes.**

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*Eren's POV

The man's breath was hot on my skin, and as pissed off as I was that he'd hit me, I couldn't help but shudder when he spoke. His voice was husky and low and seemed somehow sensual to my ears. I could feel the blush creeping up my neck. It'd had been I don't know how long since I'd heard another person speak, and I'm sure if I had been standing, my knees would have given way underneath me.

He straightened then and waved the woman over.

"You should thank me, brat. I'm here to remove the bonds."

Our eyes met when he looked down at me. I'd noticed his height the first time we'd met, but not his finer features. 'Corporal' as he'd told me to call him, had silky black hair styled in an undercut with high cheekbones, and while I couldn't see much under the folds of his clothes, he struck me as someone who kept in shape. His eyes were a steel gray surrounded by thick lashes and heavy lids.

After undoing the clasps on my right side he moved to work on the left. That was when I noticed we weren't alone. A woman was hanging towards the door watching our interactions. She had strawberry blonde hair that hit just above her shoulders and large hazel eyes. The smile she wore was warm and seemed apologetic, but her posture was stiff. She was on edge, like a soldier waiting for a command, and I couldn't help but notice the way her eyes darted from the man to me and back again. She looked afraid.

When she noticed me looking at her, she nodded slightly in acknowledgement. It was obvious that the man was her superior, so I returned my attention back to him. He was watching me with a strange glint in his eyes. Amusement.

My restraints had been undone, and the anger that I'd felt towards him was replaced with relief. I sat up, rubbing the areas where the leather had chafed my skin, and moaned. My muscles ached from lying down for such a long time in one position. I stretched. Corporal and the woman were staring at me, so, rolling my eyes, I folded my legs and stared back.

Minutes passed in quiet until the woman cleared her throat. Corporal grimaced and walked over to a metal chair. It made a screeching noise as it scraped across the linoleum.

"Tch. Petra, sit down. Might as well get comfortable."

"Uh, yes sir."

She hesitated at first, and after moment, briskly hurried to sit down beside him.

"Like I said before, you can call me Corporal. I'm the physician assigned to you during your stay here. This woman is your nurse.

There was a pause before he started speaking again.

"Listen carefully. I'm not going to repeat myself for a brat like you."

"Eren."

"What?"

"My name is Eren, not 'brat'."

"Ah, so the kid remembers his name," the older man replied sarcastically, "I know that, brat. I just couldn't care less if I tried."

He narrowed his eyes and continued to speak.

"Now if you'll shut up, we can continue. Where was I? Oh, yes. While you are our patient, you can consider yourself a prisoner, not a guest. You will not leave this room without an escort. Even if you try, you'll fail. The door automatically locks. You are constantly being watched," he said lazily, pointing to the cameras, "and everything you say and do will be recorded.

"There is no chance of visitors; no one even knows you're here except a handful of people. If you even attempt to escape, you will be punished," his eyes bore into mine and he stresses the next word, "_Severely_. If you need something like the bathroom, tap on the window. The guys on the other side will do something. Meals will be delivered to your room. Any questions, brat?"

The look on his face told me to stay quiet so I did.

"Good, "he smirked, "You learn quickly. I think we'll get along just fine."

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**A/N:**

**Definitions/ Explanations**

**(Prologue):**

**Amygdala: a roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions (from what I've found namely aggression)**


	3. Interview

**A/N:**

**First of all I'd like to say sorry for taking this long to update ;-; I've been really stressed and busy recently and didn't have time or really the will to write...I've gotten rid of my writer's block and I have more time to write now so updates will be more consistent.**

**When I was writing this, I noticed that I said wall Maria in chapter one when I meant wall Rose...I changed it, but I wanted to let you guys know...**

**Lastly, I just wanted to thank everyone for reading and commenting/favouriting/following etc. You have no idea how happy it makes me when I get a comment or an email saying someone liked one of my stories *cries* but no seriously I love you guys...don't be shy to criticize either (I'm all for constructive criticism)**

***I'm also planning on adding author notes to all of my previously uploaded chapters (for all stories). You can look back if you haven't already looked them up on archiveofourown (AO3)**

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*Levi's POV

It was fun to watch the brat squirm under my gaze. It was obvious that he had something to say, and my chest burned in triumph when he remained quiet. Petra kept looking between us, clearly worried that I was going to injure the kid, but even if I was, I knew she would do nothing to stop me.

After working with the same group of people for as long as I had, you really came to understand them. Petra was as willing to turn me over to Erwin as I was to let people's jokes about my height slide by without punishment. Needless to say, I had nothing to worry about.

I made myself as comfortable as possible on the metal chair, leaning back and throwing one leg over the other. Erwin had ordered me to tell the brat about his new life, and I had, but I was supposed to be there for at least another hour. It pissed me off, but at least I could get a kick out of messing with the kid. It was easy and entertaining.

"Oi, brat. Calm down. You look like you have a stick shoved up your ass."

I laughed. He looked at Petra like I'd just kicked a puppy, and sighing, she rolled her eyes and frowned at me. Under the annoyance, I could see her relax. I guess she took my joking as a sign I wasn't going to kill the brat.

I shrugged my shoulders, not meeting her gaze. I was too fixated on the brat's face. If looks could kill, I would be on the floor. I could easily turn the tables, but decided against it. Little did he know, he was doing exactly what I wanted him to. I was completely and utterly right. Without the medicine clouding his brain, the kid actually seemed alive. While I was thinking over just what exactly I could talk to him to move along the time, he spoke up.

"Um, so why exactly am I here?" his eyebrows knitted together, "Corporal, sir?"

We stared at each other for a moment before I answered. "That, brat, is on a need to know basis. Anything else?"

His jaw tightened and when he spoke next, his voice clipped, "Well, then. Why can't I have visitors? Neither of you are wearing masks. I'm obviously not contagious."

Without meaning to, I felt my eyebrow rise. So the brat had noticed, didn't he? "That's classified too, I afraid. Next question."

"Is everything classified?"

I smirked and almost laughed, "_I'm sorry, but that's classified_."

The brat grunted in frustration, and I heard Petra stifle a laugh behind me.

"My turn, _Eren_." A pen clicked. Petra was probably taking notes, "Tell me whether or not the information is correct." Eren nodded as I flipped through his charts. "Your name is Eren Jaeger, fifteen years old. _Yes._ Your parents are Carla and Grisha Jaeger. _Yes_. Father is missing, mother is deceased." He paused so I repeated myself, my voice firmer, "Father missing, mother deceased. _Yes, sir_. You have one sister, a, Mikasa Ackerman, adopted. _Yes._"

I looked up from the papers; Eren had wrapped his knees around himself. Sighing, I found myself standing up. Petra, startled at my unexpected movement, also stood. "Tch, sit down. I'm just getting the damn brat a blanket." Both Eren and Petra stared as I made my way to his bed and opened the drawer under it to retrieve said cover.

As I handed it to him, his eyes widened. "Just take it."

"T-thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it, kid."

After sitting myself back down, I started again, "Can you give any names of the people you've been in contact with recently?"

There was a slight pause before he answered, "Um, Mikasa, Armin, Je-."

"Last names as well."

"Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Jean Kirschtein, Annie- do I really need to say everyone? I've been in basic training for years. There's probably a list or something you can find. There were some strangers on the street I passed, but I don't think that counts. Is that all?"

"Petra go look up the records. I can do the rest myself." She hesitated, and when she finally walked over to the door, Eren's eyes followed her greedily. He wore his emotions on his face, clear as day. "Brat," I snapped my fingers to get his attention. "Don't even think about it. I really don't want to have to break your legs. It'd be a hassle to clean up."

His face fell, "W-what? What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that shit. You're a horrible liar, brat."

The brunette looked at his lap, "I know. Mikasa and Armin tell- sorry- told me that all the time." His lips turned up in a sad smile, and for some reason I didn't like that. "Their names are Mikasa," I looked at the notes Petra had been taking, "Ackerman and Armin Arlert, correct?"

Eren's eyes widened in shock, "Yes?"

"I'll tell you what. I'll see if one of my people can see what happened to them. Would that make you feel better?"

"Yes, sir. It would."

Ah, so the kid did remember. That was strange. Memory loss was a clear symptom of Stage 3. If that was the case, then either Eren didn't have T1 or the disease was evolving.

*/Information Currently Available for Public Disclosure/*

T-1 or T1 is an antagonist (it keeps your brain from properly sending information back and forth).

There are 3 stages documented to the disease:

The hindbrain is attacked first. Symptoms include increased sleep-almost coma-like, lowered reflexes, lack of balance, and difficulty with movement in hands. Stage one lasts around 4 days.

Next is the midbrain. Subject will have trouble with the senses (hearing, vision, etc.) Stage two lasts around 1 day.

Last, the forebrain is affected. Medicine is no longer an option at this point. Degeneration of the prefrontal cortex causes memory loss, the inability to reason, aggression and emotional instability. This stage lasts until death.


	4. Arrival

**A/N:**

**Belle-Masque: Aww 3 Thanks! I'm glad you think so…as for there being Levi x Eren, their time will come eventually…I'm someone who likes plot with my ship (for the most part) hahaha**

**Hey guys! Im writing the notes and stuff ahead of time (itm not really sure when IFirst of all It say enough how much it makes me happy to get an email saying dances just say I make a really big fool out of myself in publicll do my best to explain more (seriously, Idevelopings my baby) and if you didnve officially named this a Zombie AU (though maybe not in a traditional sense)-Happy reading ^^**

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*Eren's POV

Something made me believe him. It could have been the way his eyes hardened or how his muscles tensed slightly. It could have just been something in his voice. Whatever it was, however, it was clear that I could care less, and I couldn't deny that I relaxed when Corporal told me he would look into the whereabouts of my sister and best friend.

The man was looking at me intently, seemingly lost in his own thoughts; to my surprise, his gaze not unwelcome. I kept my eyes from meeting his, fearing that he would look away. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a soft knock on the door, and without waiting for an answer, a woman walked in.

She wore glasses, and her brown hair was messily thrown into a ponytail. A smile was plastered on her face as she walked up, somewhat loudly, behind the man. "Levi, you're needed immediately. We've gotten some more patients." Her eyes gleamed, and her voice was like a child on Christmas morning. "And before you ask, it's an order from Erwin."

"Tch, alright shitty glasses- I'll be there in a second." Corporal's face darkened in annoyance, and I had the sudden urge to laugh. As much as I wanted to, I stayed quiet; while some of my choices weren't the best, and I was quick to jump into something without thinking, I wasn't stupid.

The woman- I still didn't know her name, and I'm not about to call someone 'Shitty Glasses'- practically hopped out of the room as Corp-no- as _Levi _continued our conversation. His name felt right to my ears, but after stealing another look at his face, I made a mental note to never slip up and use it. At least to his face.

He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm assuming you remember the breach in wall Rose?" His eyes met mine expectantly. This time I didn't look away.

I bit my lip; my memories had been hazy to nonexistent when I'd woken up. Everything I _had _remembered was extremely vague. It wasn't until recently- the experience revealing itself to me as a nightmare- that I fully understood what had happened to me during the breach.

My comrades and I had just graduated. We'd been in training for the past three years, and were waiting to be assigned our posts. I was stationed with my friends on the outer wall; our task was defense. The Infected, or Titans, as most people called them, brought death and madness wherever they went. We worked to keep them out.

Thinking about the monsters sent a chill down my spine, and I could feel the pure and unfiltered hatred roll off of me in waves. I'd grown up caged inside the walls because of them, and while I'd always resented their existence, after seeing my mother eaten alive, I'd gained a new perspective. For years I'd grown and nurtured a need for revenge.

As the sole carrier of the disease, T1, Titans were humanity's worst nightmare. One bite and you were better off dead. Some soldiers came back alive; they'd been bitten on the arm or leg and had been able to receive the medicine before it was too late. It was common that, to better their chances, the infected would amputate their own arms, and when they couldn't, ask for the help of their comrades. It wasn't a secret; I'd personally seen the clouded expressions of returning soldiers.

Titans were seemingly mindless, their one purpose being the annihilation of humanity. They gorged themselves on humans, only to regurgitate to create room for more. It was sickening.

Levi brought me back to my senses. He was glaring at me, leaning forward in his seat with his hand in my face. "I- yes, Corporal." He rolled his eyes and stood, picking up the notes that the blonde nurse had apparently been taking. After ripping off the first few sheets, he handed the rest to me. Then he pulled a pen from his coat pocket offered that to me as well.

When I reached to take it from him, he spoke, "I want you to write everything down for me, and I mean everything. Every detail, every piece of information you can possible remember. You got that?" Nodding, I looked down at the paper. I heard the ruffling of fabric as he walked over to the door.

As I picked up the pen to start writing, he stopped. "Eren?" My head shot up faster than I thought was possible. _Eren? That's my name. He said my name._ _Oh my God, he said my name!_ I zeroed in on his words, having been too excited to register what he'd said at the beginning. "-you to write down any time you could've been directly exposed-hey, kid, are you listening? Tch, nevermind. I don't have time to repeat myself."

Without another word, Levi left. I hadn't noticed until then, but instead of a lock, there was a keypad and scanner. I mentally filed the information away and refocused on the task the man had given me. From what I got from his last statement, besides what happened at Rose, he also wanted to know about other times I could've come into contact with the Titans.

Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply and began digging up all of my most painful memories.

*/Information Currently Available for Public Disclosure/*

While originally named 'the Infected', humans eventually began calling the carriers of T1 'Titans'. After unearthing a book titled _Greek Myths_ and finding disturbing similarities between humanity's fight and one of its stories, (as a joke) scientists began interchanging the name. 'Titans' eventually won out. When it was found out that humans could contract the disease, 'Infected' became the term for humans who have (or have had) T1.

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**A/N:**

**duHDUHDUH And the plot thickens : I think I made it pretty obvious, but there's a surprise in the next chapter…I can't wait to post it 3 (haha I have to write it first)—**

**Anyways, for this chapter, I know I cut off at a weird spot, but I do have a reason, I promise! :D The explanation is going to be a pretty close parallel to the actual story (with the exception of maybe a couple of things), and there might be some readers who would rather not reread it in detail ^^ SOOOO what I'm going to do instead is write it on my tumblr as a treat for you guys who want to read it anyway…and throw in some special things while I'm at it.**

**Besides having the thing in writing (I mean typing it up), I'm getting my hands on some real medical records (for the template) and hand writing the notes. I'm also planning on putting up a little side story about Mikasa and Armin's time without Eren. Oh, and I'm drawing Levi as a teaser for chapter 6 c:**

** As always thanks for reading, and if you like the story, you can like or fave or whatever…OH and I'm a comment whore, so I'll love you forever if you leave one haha –shot-**

**If you aren't already following me on tumblr you can find me under mastia, and I'm also tracking the tags #snk infected and #mastia c: If you really like the story, you can also track the tags. I post updates and things. O.o I just realized how much I wrote….Bye….**


	5. Solitary Confinement

**A/N:**

**Wow, this chapter is almost 4300 words. O.O I know some of you may not think of this as a 'long' chapter, but considering my chapters average around 600-700 words tops, this is a big deal for me.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the sneak peak too c: I only added a sentence, so you don't have to reread the scene if you don't want to. I have a few things to say about the chapter and story, but I'll save them for the end notes.**

**P.S. I started a new fic. Along with An Unexpected Meeting (post highschool/college! AU) and Infected (disease/Zombie! AU), I now have All That Jazz. It's a Chicago (the musical/movie)/prison! AU). I'm shameless when it comes to promoting haha. I'm posting it right before this chapter and you can read it here:**

** /works/1538540 **

** s/10308251/1/All-That-Jazz**

**Edit: For some reason, ff doesn't like links...the top is the link for AO3, and the bottom is ff.**

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*Levi's POV

It hadn't even been three seconds since I shut the door when Hanji attached herself to my hip. _Like a fucking parasite._ She was practically bouncing beside me, earning the occasional stare from a new recruit. Everyone else was so used to it by now that they had learned to ignore her as much as possible. She was talking a mile a minute about the new patients and all of the tests she would get to run on them, but I was too lost in my own thoughts to really listen. My somewhat good mood had been pulled out from under me the moment she'd said "new patients".

When Hanji had first told me the news, it had taken everything in my power to not let the bitterness show on my face. The brunette was known for blurting out information to test people's reactions, and I wouldn't give her the pleasure of a response. It was obvious that the new subjects were the friends the brat had been worrying about, and my jaw tightened in annoyance- partially because she'd told me right in front of him, partly because he was too stupid to realize it on his own. Eren was blissfully unaware of the truth, and some selfish part of me wanted to keep him that way. It was childish, but he reminded me of myself before my mom had passed away.

After accepting his request, my chest had tightened guiltily. The world was a cruel place and even though I was painfully aware of that fact, I had let him get his hopes up like some monster. While I could be stern when I had to, I wasn't heartless. Before I left, I said his name-as an apology of sorts- but there was a slim to none chance that it would matter. I doubt he had even caught it.

I frowned as we made our way down the hallway, scrunching up my nose. The air was thick with the scent of bleach and other disinfectants, a combination that while welcomed, made me a tad nauseas. No matter how long I lived under the conditions, my body still couldn't get used to burn every time I breathed in.

It wasn't a secret that I hated filth, but most had just chalked it up to either extreme OCD or my general personality and left it at that. The only ones to really take note were Erwin and Hanji: Hanji because it interested her for some strange reason and Erwin because he had something to gain. The blonde man had caught on first, seeing as how he was the one who'd taken me in. _Against my will, but whatever._

Memories of my childhood and the things I'd seen and done to survive still left me unable to sleep for nights at a time. I'd never forget the stench of the bodies, rotting flesh and feces and piss. The chemicals burned my eyes and lungs but it was so much better than choking down the polluted air of the Underground.

All of the resources the cities had went into preserving humanity; doctors spent their time developing vaccines and looking for a cure, and the engineers maintained the walls. Infrastructure, plumbing, and transportation remained underdeveloped, only just passing by as a convenience. If you were lucky, if you had the money, a horse and carriage would carry you down the cobblestone roads. Most likely, you walked.

Until I'd learned to fend for myself, I hadn't even had that much.

The first door we stopped at was guarded by two soldiers, one at each side. They were both wearing the standard military uniform: crisp white pants, collared shirt and tan demi-jacket under dark leather straps and holsters. Knee high boots had been polished until they shined. Among the neutral colours, an insignia of wings stood out, clarifying their allegiance to the Recon Corps.

Being an officer meant that I had spent time both out in the field gathering information on the Titans and in the lab researching T1, and I was well known at both locations. After noticing Hanji and I walking toward them, both stood at attention, saluting. One of the men stepped forward to open the door for us; I nodded at him as I passed.

Hanji fell into step behind me, giggling.

Their gear reminded me of my time out in the field and I sighed, remembering the care I would put into methodically loading the containers. They were bulky, holding numerous disposable blades. Early on it was discovered that Titans tended to favor areas with the most amount of humans and/or the most noise, so gun use among soldiers was limited in favor of a quieter method. Silence worked best. It generally took more skill, and while in the beginning there were a number of casualties, the lives saved overall outnumbered them significantly.

After stepping through the first set of doors, there was a waiting room. Its walls were a light purple, a couple of wooden chairs and tables the only furniture. I recognized it as one of the five solitary confinement areas. It confused me at first; as far as I knew, none of them had ever been used. They had been made for patients who had reached stage 3 and were uncontrollable. Then it dawned on me. One of the brat's friends must have fought back and had been strong enough to pose a threat. No wonder Hanji had been this excited.

There were two metal doors at the back of the small room. One had the standard keypad lock and scanner, with a chart hanging next to it and the other was left slightly ajar. I could hear Erwin's muffled voice coming through the crack, and made my way to it, stopping by the other only to grab the chart. I flipped through the document, skimming pages for any decent information.

Erwin's voice was low and firm, but he would sometimes pause as if he was collecting his thoughts. Hanji had made it in before me and was glued to the two way mirror. When I walked in, Erwin smiled at me, motioning for me to wait. I rolled my eyes and sat down as he walked over to the voice recorder he'd been using and turned it off.

"Well hello, Levi. I'm glad you could join us."

I glared at the man. "Cut the crap, eyebrows. You now for a fact I didn't have a choice."

Sighing, I turned to look through the glass for the first time. My eyes were met with a stare that could rival my own. A girl was seated, albeit not willingly, on a metal chair. Her arms and legs were strapped down, an IV running up her forearm. She had black hair and dark eyes to match, and I could see the beginnings of a couple nasty bruises forming on her pale skin. Handprints on her arms and legs, a busted lip, a swollen cheek.

Erwin followed my gaze, and seeing the frown on my lips, chuckled. "She put up quite a fight; it took six men to hold her down until we could put the IV in. It's a shame she was injured, but it was for her own good."

"Mhm. Whatever." I looked down at the chart, noticing something for the first time. In my earlier rush, I hadn't noticed her name. I could feel my eyes widening. "Mik-."

"-asa Ackerman." The blonde paused. "You seem surprised. Did the other boy-Eren- mention anything by chance?" Erwin raised one eyebrow.

I let out a frustrated growl, fighting the urge to punch him. He was fucking playing with me, the bastard. "The brat mentioned her. It wasn't anything of importance." I wasn't lying, at least not entirely. In regards to any medical indicator, I was right. It didn't matter. For my own personal reasons, however, it did. The taller man had known me far too long however, but refused to take the hint.

"Levi-." He was interrupted by a movement out of the corner of his eye.

Eren's sister was scooting forward as best she could in her state. She was slow, but I could clearly see the resolve in her eyes; her entire body screamed determination. Black pools never left the mirror, even when the IV rack fell over and pulled the needle from her arm, tearing at her skin. She didn't even flinch. Blood dripped down her arm as she worked her way closer.

Everything was in slow motion.

Hanji had disappeared somewhere, leaving Erwin and I alone in the room. I knew Mikasa couldn't see me, but I walked closer anyway, as if in a trance. I could faintly hear Erwin say he was going to find Hanji and make sure that the guards were properly recording the scene, but it never fully registered. By the time she made it to the glass, he was gone too.

It was just us then.

I was close enough now to see how much her eyes had dilated; it surprised me. She shouldn't be able to do anything. Her lips moved, barely a whisper of a voice coming out. If I hadn't been as focused on her as I was, I wouldn't have heard.

_"__Where is Eren?"_

_Where is Eren?_

As soon as the words left her lips, she shuddered, her head dropping. There was a beep as Hanji walked through the door, a team of nurses trailing behind her. She hurried over to Mikasa, and as one of the nurses applied pressure to the girl's bleeding arm, checked her vitals. With a sigh of relief, she looked up and nodded towards me, letting me know Mikasa was alright.

A wheelchair was brought in, and the nurses carefully place the girl inside, being careful not to bump her arms or legs as they positioned them. Hanji waved them off, motioning for me to meet her outside so that we could talk properly.

"Her vitals seem to be fine, and the wound from the needle didn't do any serious damage. It's going to hurt for a little while, but I don't think it will scar. She's asleep; I'm guessing she passed out from exhaustion. She had a fight when she got here and was refusing to eat or drink or sleep, so it's completely normal for her to rest. I'm going to have her put in the grey room until she calms down enough to join the others."

While the woman was definitely insane, she took her job and the lives of her patients very seriously. "Thanks, Hanji."Still unsettled by the girl's words, I bit my lip.

She noticed something was wrong, but unlike eyebrows, had the decency to leave it alone. "It's my job. Oh, and Erwin had something else to attend to. He said to just let you know that you need to check up on two others. One is in the blue room, and the other is in the green. Then you're free for the day." The brunette smiled and left.

I found Eren's other friend in the blue room. It had the same layout as the purple-they all did- except the colour. Hence the name. He was sitting on his chair quietly, unrestrained and without an IV. I grabbed his chart, nodding when I saw his name printed in Hanji's wild script: Armin Arlert.

Instead of just the one chair, there were two, and a metal table had also been set up. When the door had shut all the way, I made my way over, slipping into the chair opposite from the boy. His face was grim, and he said nothing. I cleared my throat.

"Armin Arlert, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

I leaned back in my chair, much like I had in Eren's room; the blonde's blue eyes widened in shock. My display wasn't enough for him to start a conversation, however, and I chuckled under my breath. _Eren would have gotten impatient by now._ Armin's eyebrows knitted in confusion as I laughed. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it again and shook his head.

There was a loud _clank_ as the two front legs of my chair hit the ground. The boy flinched. It was obvious he was trying to hide his discomfort from me. He was doing a somewhat poor job. When he spoke, his shoulders would tense up, and his jaw would tighten. "Do you know why you're here?"

I could see his eyes darken, and he nodded. He took a deep breath before actually speaking. "Yes, Corporal Levi, sir, I believe I do. I'm here because of Eren, right?" I narrowed my eyes. I hadn't told him my name. And no one who valued their life would have done it either.

"How do you know my name?" He seemed startled at my question, but answered anyway. His voice had become less shaky. It seemed like he was relaxing a little.

"My friends and I would always watch the Survey Corps when they came through town." A small, sad smile graced his lips as he looked back. "Eren would always drag us along, well me at least. Mikasa would follow him anywhere. You are his hero, actually. He would always get really excited when he saw you. Humanity's Strongest. I can't count the number of times he's told us about you." When my face remained blank, he sighed. "Of course you wouldn't remember. It was a very long time ago, and you've probably seen a lot of faces. But, yeah, that's why I know your name."

Him telling me had jarred a memory. I could faintly recall, years ago, seeing the same beautiful blue-green eyes. The timing made sense, but I couldn't get over the fact that while the two's faces were the same, they couldn't be any more different. The kid I'd seen before was happy, smiling up at me in wonder. Eren had been so innocent back then.

Something kept nagging at the back of mind. _If the brat knew who I was, why the hell would he play stupid?_ It didn't add up. Armin watched my face. I looked back. "The br-Eren didn't seem to recognize me earlier when we spoke. And I've never visited Trost as a member of the Survey Corps."

Armin looked startled. "Wait, so you've met?" The blonde shook his head as he spoke. "We weren't in Trost. The three of us lived in Shinganshina. As for him not recognizing you, he doesn't remember too much about the time before the accident, so I'm not that surprised. He kind of went into shock. It's a little strange though; he talked about you when we were in training." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe it's just your face he doesn't remember."

"Accident?"

"Uh, yes. But I guess it wasn't really an "accident". Eren lost his mom when we were ten. He and Mikasa wouldn't tell me the details, but from what I could pick up, I think they saw it happen. It must've been really bad, because he's almost completely blocked out everything to do with our childhoods."

The brat was fifteen now, so when he was ten was five years ago. Five years ago. Shinganshina. The two rang a bell, but I couldn't quite put my head around it. I clenched my hand on the clipboard as the realization hit me. The breach; it had been around that time.

_So Eren had been exposed before. This could be interesting._ _I need to make a note for Hanji._ I wrote notes quickly as we talked, careful to make sure everything was easily readable. I asked the kid all of the standard questions: his personal information, medical record, who he's been in contact with. He became more comfortable as the time passed, only tensing up when I asked about what he'd been doing after the break in wall Rose.

His face became unreadable, his eyes dead. "When the wall was compromised, everyone panicked. A lot of us that were stationed there had just graduated. People were split into groups; I was with Eren and a few others. Everyone was scared, but Eren convinced them to fight anyway.

"I was in the back of the group when the first Titan attacked us. Most of us noticed it in time and moved out of the way, but someone didn't. He wasn't quick enough. His name was Thomas I think. Anyway, Eren went crazy. He broke from the group. I think he was aiming for the one who killed Thomas. As he got closer, he was bitten of the leg. I've heard that it's extremely painful to contract the disease, and when I saw the look on his face, I kind of just froze. Either because he couldn't use his leg or from the pain of the bite, Eren couldn't run. He just laid there.

"I was still frozen in place as I watched my team being taken out. I don't think I'll ever forget their screams and the blood. They were all eaten alive except Eren, and while it makes me sick, a part of me was glad that they were dead and not able to turn on me. I don't think I would have been able to kill them if that had happened.

"I didn't notice at first that there was a Titan coming toward me. When I did, I still couldn't run. I was just stuck there, and I'd already given up on living. Eren came to around that time and pushed me out of the way. The Titan ended up biting his shoulder instead of me. I think that he used up the last of his strength to save me though; he was clearly delirious. When he reached up, smiling at me, I didn't know what to do so I ran." The boy was crying now, silent tears running down his cheeks.

"I knew I was a coward, but I couldn't make myself go back for him. It wasn't until I was with the rest of our friends that I even realized what I'd done. That I'd left him there. Jean wouldn't let me go back for him, and I was secretly grateful. After seeing him overtaken by Titans, I was sure that he was dead. Mikasa showed up a little while after, asking about him, and I broke down. She kept assuring me that it wasn't my fault.

"As much as she wanted to go back, I convinced Mikasa to stay with the group, and because of her, most of us made it out. They stopped us at checkpoint to looks for signs of infection, but none of my friends there had been bitten. We got cleaned up, and reported to our officers." Armin paused to look at me. He'd been talking fast, everything rushed, trying to get over the conversation as quickly as possible. "Then we were dragged here. Mikasa was the only one who fought."

I grunted in response. I'd seen her injuries first hand. "Okay, then. One last question. You don't seem surprised that your friend is alive, but you claim to have given up on him after the breach. What changed your mind?" Curious, I cocked my head to the side.

"It was silly of me, but there was this rumor going around about a survivor attaching Titans. I had a feeling it was Eren, and I couldn't help but get my hopes up."

I nodded writing down the last of my notes, and stood. "Thank you for your cooperation. I will tell a nurse that you are free to join your friends." As I was heading through the door, the blonde stood up for the first time and called out my name.

"Are they alright: Eren and Mikasa?" I smirked, nodding my head as I left him. I could just barely hear his sigh over the beep of the door locking.

The green room was occupied by a lump. Instead of in his chair, the boy was in a corner of the room, his knees curled up against his chest. He didn't move from his position, even when I walked through the door. When the chair screeched across the linoleum floor, he looked up briefly, only to hide his head immediately after. I could tell that it wasn't going to be easy to coax him from his spot.

I made myself as comfortable as possible in the metal chair- it was the same setup as the blue room- and resigned myself to being there for as long as it took. While he wasn't violent like Eren's sister, it was clear that he was just as stubborn, and ignoring the staff seemed to be all he thought he could do to stay in control. I scanned his chart.

Jean Kirschtein, aligned to the… Survey Corps. I grimaced as I looked over at the bundle. So the new recruits were like this, were they? I still had so much more to do after this, and here some brat was, making _my_ life difficult. Every ounce of patience I had left in my body, evaporated. I didn't bother trying to mask the coldness in my voice. "Tch. Brat, I'm going to give you to the count of five to get your ass over here. _One_."

When the boy made no move to get up, I decided to give him a little motivation. I _really_ wasn't in the mood. "_Two. Three_." As the words fell from my mouth, I removed the papers from the clipboard and raised it lazily over my shoulder. "Last chance, brat. _Four." Nothing. "Five._" Still, he didn't move an inch.

I heard a crunch as the wood collided with the boy's face. His eyes widened in shock as his hand flew to his nose. Blood ran down, covering his fingers. He jumped up, screaming at the top of his lungs. "What the fuck was that for, bastard?" I looked over at him, my face blank.

"I was teaching you a lesson, brat." I narrowed my eyes. Under his eyes and around his nose were already starting to bruise; his mouth dropped open and I scrunched my nose when I saw his blood fall onto the floor. "Disgusting-. Do you know how gross it is to touch someone else's blood? I swear-. What the hell are they teaching you kids?"

Realization lit his face. The switch from anger to awe was almost immediate. "Y-you're Corporal Levi." Forgetting the mess that was his face, he attempted to salute.

"What of it?"

"I- um-it's just that you're Humanity's Strongest, sir. You are um- a hero?"

Rolling my eyes, I straightened the now loose papers. The clipboard was sitting in a pile of blood, and there was no way in hell I was touching it. "That means absolutely nothing coming from a brat like you." He looked defeated all of a sudden, the bravado from earlier falling apart at the seams. I'd seen that look too many times on the field. It was the look of a soldier who'd lost a loved one. He didn't go back to the corner, but he didn't sit down either. He just stood in silence.

Knowing I would get nowhere, and not wanting to wait around for Petra to scold me, I stood up, making my way to the door. "I'll have to interview you later. This room is too filthy to work in now. I got you to talk, so I'll have you moved to be with your friends. If I hear you giving any trouble to the nurses, I'll break more than your face." He nodded, the dizziness from being hit in the head catching up with him. I left quickly, leaving him staring at my back. I'd just have to finish later after everything had been thoroughly cleaned.

After informing the nurse on duty of what had happened, I sighed. It was already eleven o'clock at night. I'd left Eren in his room at four. The fatigue was making it hard to concentrate; I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. As tired as I was, there was one more stop I needed to make before showering and heading to bed.

*/Information Currently Available for Public Disclosure/*

There are 3 main branches of military: the Military Police, the Garrison, and the Recon Corps. The Military Police is in charge of maintaining order within the walls, and work directly under the king. The Garrison maintains the walls, and Recon Corps is in charge of researching and developing vaccines/cures for T1 as well as venturing outside of the walls to survey land.

While generally called the Recon Corps, within its field, it is split into two main branches: the Recon Corps and the Survey Corps.

The job of the 'Recon Corps' is dealing with T1 and everything associated with the disease (research, vaccines, people who have been infected). For the most part, soldiers stay in the facilities underground. However, in certain cases (such as a breach), they will look for survivors that can still be treated and quarantine them.

The 'Survey Corps' deals with surveying land and gathering information on the Titans. In case of a breach, their job is 'removing' the infected who have reached the point of no return.

***The Wings of Freedom is a group of elites, (from both Recon and Survey). Members partake in the duties of both divisions.

* * *

**A/N:**

**: So there's some new information, yay! I hope you guys get the difference between Survey and Recon (I'm not sure if I explained it that well).**

** A little bit about this chapter: First of all, after finishing Mikasa's part, I started really having a hard time. The flow just wasn't working and I feel like it's rushed? Mikasa, Armin and Jean were the only one's put in solitary confinement. Mikasa was because of violence and Jean was because he was basically catatonic, and they didn't want him with the others until they knew he was stable. Armin asked to speak to someone so that's why he was there.**

**Riley asked a very good question about the setting of the story. To clarify, you can think of it like this. Imagine the canon SNK verse where except developing 3D maneuver gear, they advanced their medical facilities. The gear that they do use is just blades (the straps help keep everything in place and hold extra pockets and such for vaccines).-does that make sense?**

**As always, thanks for reading and commenting/favouriting/following/etc. I really appreciate it ^-^**


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